Weight and Working

[Bruce Smart]

I have a young fast dog that seems slightly light on power. With winter coming on I have increased rations and she has added pounds though is by no means fat. Much of my training has focused on pace. It seems to me that she has steadied up since getting heavier. I also think she is more confident in handling balky sheep.

 

Does changing weight change pace or power or am I imaging things?

[Shoofly]

I think weight will influence pace. Alasdair used to tell me to get Gael fat and she'd pace more, so other folks do too. The power increase might come from her realizing she can move sheep even when moving slower herself. She might be figuring out she doesn't have to blow into sheep to move them, therefore increasing her confidence and increasing her power.

[SecretBC]

I purposefully kept Secret very much on the thin side as she grew. She is a tall, lanky dog and I knew that any added pounds on her frame would stress her growing joints.

 

I started to up her food intake a couple of months ago and her energy went through the roof. She used to peter out fairly quickly in our play or training time, but now she's a little energizer bunny.

 

She probably put on 1 1/2 to 2 lbs but is still by no means heavy -- you can still feel her ribs very easily. But the added calories definitely boosted her energy quite a lot.